1374: Business school lied. These 6 strategies are the truth to RAPID growth...

Have you been taught that business is a zero-sum game? That you need to crush your competition, steal market share, and constantly differentiate yourself to survive? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian dismantles one of the biggest lies we’ve all been told: that competition is the key to success. Inspired by a simple but powerful quote, “Competition happens at the bottom, the people at the top are collaborating,” Brian shares why an abundance mindset is the true secret to scaling your business and impact. He dives into his own early entrepreneurial journey, revealing how partnering with his so-called “competitors” was the very thing that accelerated his success. Get ready to rethink everything you know about your industry and discover the six types of collaboration that will change your business forever.

✨ Why This Matters for You

Adopting a collaborative mindset is the fastest way to get out of the entrepreneurial trenches:

• It frees you from the scarcity mindset that keeps you small and stressed.
• It unlocks partnerships and opportunities that you could never create on your own.
• It builds a powerful network of peers, mentors, and partners who genuinely want to see you win.
• It accelerates your learning curve and helps you avoid costly mistakes.
• It shifts your focus from fighting for scraps at the bottom to creating new value at the top.

📝 Key Takeaways

• Competition is a Myth. The idea that you must beat others to win is a flawed concept taught in business school. True long-term success comes from partnership and the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats.
• Collaborate with Competitors. Instead of viewing direct competitors as threats, see them as partners for market expansion, shared education, cross-promotions, or even referring overflow work.
• Leverage Shoulder Industries. This is a business cheat code. Partnering with businesses that serve your ideal clients (but don't directly compete with you) is one of the most effective marketing strategies.
• Value is More Than Money. When collaborating, you can offer more than just cash or referrals. Offer time, access, credibility, distribution, labor, or community to create win-win partnerships, especially with those ahead of you.
• Build Your Peer Group. The entrepreneurial journey is lonely. Collaborating with peers provides essential emotional support, sanity checks, shared experiments, and a trusted circle of people who are in the arena with you.
• Co-Create With Your Market. Stop guessing what your customers want. Collaborate with them directly. Use community-led growth and user-generated content to build products and services they are guaranteed to love.

🚀 Put It Into Action

This week, conduct a “Collaboration Audit” on your business:

• Identify one person or business in a “shoulder industry” that you could partner with. How can you help them first?
• Think of one “competitor.” What’s one small way you could collaborate instead of compete? (e.g., share their content, propose a joint webinar on the state of your industry).
• Reach out to one peer who is at a similar stage in their journey and schedule a virtual coffee. The goal isn't to sell, but simply to connect and learn.

🔗 Stay Connected

• Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.
• Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrian.
• This is a lonely journey if you let it be! Brian reads and replies to every single email personally. Reach out and say hello at hello@imetbrian.com.
• Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.